Sonic Riders: The Sonic X Mix
by Maria Kintobor
Summary: Part of my fanmade season: The Sonic X version of the original game! WARNING: Contains spoilers of the original game, do not read unless you completed the whole game.
1. Prologue

Sonic X - (Fanmade) Season

Story 3: Sonic Riders

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Continuing on my fanmade season of "Sonic X", I decided to write some game adaptations to fit the show. This is one of them. Yes, this is the fic I've been hinting at in my previous two "Sonic X" fics. I've always wondered what the Babylon Rogues would be like if they appeared on "Sonic X", haven't you? However, I must warn you that since this is an adaptation of the original game, it will contain spoilers of the game's story. So, if you haven't played the game all the way through, then, you shouldn't read this fic. But if you have, then, don't let me stop you. And, as always, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. Now, let the race begin!

Prologue

High in the cloudy nighttime sky, a big blimp flies across. The balloon of the blimp is bright red while the main cockpit is silver on the outside. Inside, in an office-type room, a green hawk is taking a nap in his chair with his feet on the desk in front of him. The hawk has red rims inside the outer side of his eyes and black rims in front of the red. He also has a tuft of white feathers on his chest, a sharp yellow beak, dark green flame tatoos on his wrists, and dark green on the tips of his head and tail feathers. He wears a pair of gray goggles with orange lenses on the top of his head, white gloves with silver bracelets and red squares on the rims with little black squares inside the red, and red boots on his feet with white rims, black stripes from the top to the toe with little branching stripes, and white near the bottom on the sides and heels. Suddenly, the office doors burst open and a gray albatross rushes toward the desk. The albatross has beady blue eyes, black rims around his eyes with red rims inside the outer side of his eyes behind the black, a big tuft of white feathers on his chest, a sharp yellow beak, dark gray flame tatoos on his wrists, and dark gray on the tips of his head and tail feathers. He wears a pair of small yellow goggles with light blue lenses on the top of his head, a necklace with two brown strings and three silver rock-shaped plates, tan gloves with black bracelets, and black sneakers with white rims, yellow stripes connecting the sides, and white near the bottom on the sides and heels. The albatross has a panicked look on his face.

"Boss! Hey, boss!" the ablatross calls out.

The sound of this makes the hawk wake up, falling out of his chair as feet fall off the desk and the hawk lands on the floor. The albatross approaches the desk as the hawk sits up, shaking away the feeling of uneasyness.

The albatross bangs on the desk as he announces, "We've got major trouble!"

The hawk opens his eyes which are revealed to blue, as blue as Sonic. The hawk looks at the panicked albatross as a purple swallow stands in the open doorway. She wears a white bandana on her head like a hat, silver sunglasses with orange lenses on top of her bandana, a white tube top with ruffles on the front, white bellbottom pants with dark purple flames on the rims of the legs, a white necklace with a round red jewel, white gloves with gold bracelets and red squares on the rims, and red boots with silver zippers and white near the bottom on the sides and heels. She has two long black eyelashes on each eye, pink eyeshadow on her eyelids, deep blue eyes, a sharp yellow beak, pink flame tatoos on her wrists, and dark purple on the tips of her head feathers. She looks annoyed with the albatross rushing in the room without knocking.

"Storm!" she scolds the ablatross. "At least learn to knock before entering a room!"

The albatross, named Storm, and the hawk look at her as she enters the room, approaching them.

"We just got this blimp from a deserted military base, so, you'd better not go tearing the place apart," she continues to scold.

The hawk stands up and smiles.

The hawk chuckles, "Never mind, Wave, he just gets a bit too excited, that's all."

He and the swallow, named Wave, look at Storm in interest.

"Now, what's all the hubbub, bub?" the hawk asks Storm.

"Well, uh, an egg head?" Storm tries to remember the name, "Egg salad? No. Anyway, he told me that he has an interesting proposition for you."

Just then, he notices a small shining white cube on the table.

"Oh, is this...?" Storm asks, in awe of the cube.

Wave and the hawk notice the cube.

"Yeah," the hawk confirms. "I got it when I took over things for my father."

"So, this is the key to the fabled Babylon Garden," Wave ponders.

Storm picks up the cube and examines it.

Storm ponders, "I wonder... Could it be true? Could our ancestors have left behind hidden treasure that's just waiting to be discovered?"

Wave continues to ponder, "Hmm." She blurts out as she reaches for the cube, "Let me see."

Storm pulls the cube out of her reach, angrily.

"Uh-uh!" he scolds her. "If you get your greasy little hands on this, you'll probably use it in some crazy experiment of yours!"

Wave angrily folds her arms, protesting, "My experiments are not crazy! Besides," she reaches for the cube again, continuing, "I only want to look at it."

"Remember the teachings of our ancestors," Storm reminds her. "Be careful what you ask for, ultimately you'll only get three true wishes."

The hawk is annoyed by all this as he spouts out, "Knock it off, you two!"

**A red vein sticks out of his forehead.**

Wave and Storm look at the hawk in surprise.

The hawk sits in his chair, pointing out, "Sheesh! You act like big babies sometimes."

Wave and Storm bring down their arms in embarrassment as Storm puts the cube back on the desk.

**Sweatdrops roll down the sides of their heads.**

Suddenly, the silence is broken by the sound of Eggman's voice, clearing his throat. All three birds curiously look at the doorway as Dr. Eggman stands there, amused by the previous scene. Wave and Storm make space between each other.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Eggman asks, acting sincere.

The hawk smiles, "No, of course not. Come right in."

Eggman bows, "Don't mind if I do."

Eggman approaches the desk and stands in-between Wave and Storm.

"I heard you wanted to see me, am I right?" The hawk inquires.

"Depends," Eggman tells him. "Are you Jet the Hawk, the 'Legendary Wind Master'?"

The hawk, named Jet, proudly points at himself, proclaiming, "You're lookin' at 'im! And these are my colleagues." He points to Storm as he introduces him, "On your left is my right-hand bird, Storm the Albatross," then, he points to Wave as he introduces her, "and on your right is our top mechanic, Wave the Swallow."

"Ah, the world famous Babylon Rogues!" Eggman admires the birds. "Your reputation precedes you. I've heard so much about your infamous group."

"Well, now that we've gotten acquainted, what exactly brings you here?" Jet asks Eggman.

"Well, now, I heard a rumor, a rumor that you have the key to Babylon Garden. Now, could this be true?" Eggman inquires.

Storm nervously looks at the cube on the desk.

Jet tries to deny, "Huh? What's this key?"

Eggman snickers as Storm looks at him. Eggman is not convinced.

"Really now," Eggman assures Jet, "you don't have to be so distrusting. We're all friends here. In fact, I know the secret to activating the key. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Chaos Emeralds?"

Jet chuckles, "Who hasn't? But what do they have to do with this key you speak of?"

"Well, from what I've heard," Eggman explains, "they can unlock the power inside the key that allows the Babylon Garden to rise up from the depths of the earth!"

Jet, Wave, and Storm gasp in awe upon hearing this.

"So, we just need to collect all these Chaos Emeralds, right? Sounds easy," Jet responds, feeling a bit confident.

"You really think so, eh? The emeralds are scattered all across this planet. They could be anywhere," Eggman points out.

"Are you saying the Babylon Rogues aren't capable of collecting some puny emeralds?" Jet demands.

"Oh, no. I am confident of your skills," Eggman assures Jet. "However, there is one obstacle that still stands in the way."

"What do you mean?" Jet wonders.

Eggman replies, "Does the name 'Sonic the Hedgehog' ring any bells?"

Jet becomes jealous of Sonic, complaining, "Hmph. The so-called 'world's fastest hedgehog'. Big deal!"

"It is a big deal," Eggman warns. "I've had many, many dreadful encounters with this pest. And he, too, is looking for the Chaos Emeralds along with his annoying friends."

Jet mischievously responds, "Hah. He may be the fastest creature on the ground, but in the air, he's just a joke."

He, Wave, and Storm have a hearty laugh over this as Eggman snickers, knowing the Babylon Rogues have taken the bait: Hook, line, and sinker.

A/N:  
Uh-oh. Eggman's up to his old tricks again. Will the Babylon Rogues realize this? Or will they get too caught up in the race to even notice? Remember, this is only the prologue, meant to set the scene. In the meantime, let me know what you think of the story so far, 'kay?


	2. Lessons to Learn

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Time to include the main cast of "Sonic X" in on the fun. I should mention that I included Maria in the main "Sonic X" cast. It's recommended that you read my previous "Sonic X" fics to see how she was found so that you wouldn't get confused. And since this fic contains spoilers of the original game, it's best to play the game before reading this fic. And, as always, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. Now, let's check in on Chris and Maria, shall we?

Chapter 1 - Lessons to Learn

The next day, on a sunny morning, a bunch of cars pull up to the front steps of the Thorndyke mansion. Reporters rush out of the cars and run up the stairs to the front door, clamoring for an interview with Maria Robotnik who had just been awakened from frozen slumber on the Space Colony ARK by eighteen-year-old Christopher Thorndyke. Maria currently lives with Chris as his newly adopted sister. Inside the mansion, Ella keeps her back on the doors, trying to keep the reporters out.

"Go away!" Ella shouts at the reporters. "We do not wish to be bothered!"

It's at this moment that Chris and Maria run into the main hall. They are surprised at the arrival of the reporters.

"Ella, what's going on?" Chris asks. "Where did all these reporters come from?"

"I wish I knew, dear," Ella replies, "but they all seem to be here for Maria."

"Me? Why me?" Maria wonders. "I didn't do anything important."

Lindsey's voice chimes in, "Oh, but I did, darling."

Chris and Maria turn to the stairway behind them and notice Chris' mom, movie actress Lindsey Fair, coming toward them, seemingly happy about the reporters.

"You see, I called them all here for an exclusive interview with Maria," Lindsey explains. "It's about time the public learned all about her."

Chris, Maria, and Ella look at Lindsey in shock.

"Mom! Why did you do that?" Chris asks his mother.

"Well, she is the lone survivor on the Space Colony ARK," Lindsey replies. "I thought it would be a good idea to give her some publicity."

Chris and Ella are disappointed with Lindsey while Maria just laughs in embarrassment.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of her head.

"Oh, mom," said Chris.

"Mrs. Thorndyke," said Ella.

Tanaka's voice changes the mood, "Excuse me, Master Chris."

Everyone curiously looks at Tanaka who comes into the hall from the living room.

"The president's secretary is here to see you... and Miss Maria," he tells Chris.

"Huh? How did she get in with all those reporters blocking off the entrance?" Chris inquires.

Tanaka giggles, "She used the back entrance."

Soon, in the living room, Chris, Maria, and Lindsey sit on the couch in front of coffee table while Tanaka and Ella each stand at an end of the couch as Christina Cooper, the president's secretary, stands in front of the TV on the wall.

"As you know," Christina explains, "with Dr. Eggman's return to this world, the safety of the world is at stake. Luckily, we have Sonic and his friends to protect us. And with the military to assist him, we hope to stop Dr. Eggman at any cost. However, our main concern is not Eggman, but Maria. Now that she has been revealed to the public, her safety is at risk."

Chris, Tanaka, and Ella look annoyed at Lindsey while she just scratches her cheek with a nervous giggle.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of her head.

Maria, however, continues to look at Christina, concerned for her own safety as well.

"I see what you mean," she responds.

Chris, Lindsey, Tanaka, and Ella curiously look at Maria when she says this.

"I don't think I can even go to school without getting mobbed by reporters," Maria adds.

Then, Chris, Lindsey, Tanaka, and Ella look at Christina in concern.

"Yeah. A good education is important," Chris agrees.

Christina happily remarks, "We've thought about that. So, we decided to set you up with a tutor."

Chris, Maria, Lindsey, Tanaka, and Ella gasp in awe.

"Maria," Christina tells Maria, "I would like to introduce you to..." she points at the doorway and continues, "Mr. Stewart."

Upon these words, Chris, Maria, Lindsey, Tanaka, and Ella watch the doorway in surprise as Chris' old teacher, Mr. Stewart, happily comes into the doorway. He straightens his glasses a bit and then, procedes to enter the room. Unbeknownst to everyone but Christina, Mr. Stewart is actually a government agent as he was Chris' teacher the day Sonic first arrived on Chris' world six years ago. Everyone watches Mr. Stewart as he goes to Christina and stands beside her, facing Maria. Christina, too, looks at Maria.

"So, you must be Maria," he tells Maria. "I've heard so much about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Maria happily nods in response. Chris, Lindsey, Tanaka, and Ella also smile.

"Thank you," Maria replies. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Mr. Stewart looks at Chris and points out, "So, Chris, it's been a while, hasn't it? You certainly have grown since I saw you last."

"I'll say," Chris responds. "I haven't seen you since you dropped out of the battle tournament. So, what made you decide to tutor Maria?"

Mr. Stewart explains, "I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about Maria. But once I learned that you were the one who found her, Chris, my best pupil," he shrugs as he chuckles, "well, how could I refuse?"

"I have a feeling you and Maria are gonna get along just fine," Chris remarks.

Maria beams with a giggle. Mr. Stewart nods in agreement.

"By the way, Chris," he points out, "there have been rumors that Sonic and the others have returned and are living with you again. Are they around?"

"Not at the moment, but they'll be back soon," Chris explains. "You see, Amy, Cream, Cheese, and Cream's mom are out shopping for groceries while Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are looking for the Chaos Emeralds even as we speak."

Later that evening, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles walk down the streets of downtown Station Square in search of the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic and Knuckles watch Tails as the fox looks at a circular scanning device in his hand. The device is a radar for detecting Chaos Emeralds.

"It's lucky that Chris made this radar for us," Tails remarks. "With this, we can find the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman."

"And the sooner, the better," said Sonic. "Who knows what he'll do with 'em."

"Are you sure there's an emerald around here?" Knuckles skeptically asks.

"The signal is faint, but I'm sure the emerald's around here somewhere," Tails assures Knuckles.

Just then, the words "JAMMING WAVE" are displayed on the radar's screen. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles curiously stop because of this.

"That's really weird," Tails remarks. "It looks like something's jamming the radar signal."

Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking causes Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to look up in surprise. At one of the buildings down the street, silhouettes of Jet, Storm, and Wave, riding on hoverboards, break through the building's top floor windows. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles don't know who these birds are.

"Hey," Knuckles wonders as he points to the birds, "who are those guys?"

Suddenly, the radar beeps as an icon on the radar's screen focuses on a digital representation of the birds. Tails curiously hears the beeping and looks at the screen.

Tails screams in horror, "Aah! Sonic!" Sonic and Knuckles curiously look at Tails as he explains, "The Chaos Emerald is with..." Tails looks at the birds and points at them as he continues, "them!"

Sonic and Knuckles look at the birds with gasps in shock. The birds fly down to the street below and go down the street, away from Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

Sonic responds with a sly grin, "Hah! Not for long!"

He chases after the birds, using his blinding speed that causes a blue trail since Sonic is moving so fast. Tails and Knuckles notice this in shock.

Tails calls to Sonic, "Sonic! Wait up!"

Knuckles calls to Sonic, "Sonic!"

A/N:  
And the race (or should I say, chase) is on! Can Sonic get the Chaos Emerald from the Babylon Rogues? Can he even keep up with them? If you already played the game, you already know the answers. Tune in next chapter to see if you're right.


	3. Going Extreme

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Chapter two continues where chapter one left off. When we last left Sonic, he was chasing after the Chaos Emerald thieves. In this chapter, Sam Speed and his S-Team join the chase. (You were wondering when I'd add the "Speed King", weren't ya?) Brief reminder, since this is an adaptation of the original game, it will contain spoilers of the game's story. Don't read it you don't want to be spoiled. Plus, I thought I'd showcase Maria's intelligence based on her experience on the Space Colony ARK when she lived there. Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I added the Eggmoon to the story. I don't think it returned to normal when Sonic's and Chris' worlds separated. So, I apologize in advance for adding it. So, let's rejoin Sonic in his chase!

Chapter 2 - Going Extreme

Jet, Wave, and Storm ride their hoverboards down the highway. Jet's hoverboard is green with dark green stripes, gray in the middle, and a yellow border around the gray. Wave's hoverboard is pink with purple and white stripes and yellow in the middle. Storm's is orange with black stripes, black arched bars, gray in the middle, and a yellow border around the gray. The birds are being chased by racecars with police sirens: The S-Team! Sam Speed leads the way in his car.

"Looks like we've got some new competition from Sonic's world," Sam noticed. "But they've got another thing coming if they think they can beat me."

Suddenly, Sonic jumps down from another highway above and stands in the path of the incoming birds. Sam notices this in surprise.

"It's Sonic!" he exclaims. Then, he becomes determined and adds, "'Bout time he showed up."

Sonic holds out his hand and demands, "Stop right there!"

However, none of the birds are stopping as Jet swerves around Sonic who drops his hand and looks on in surprise.

"Well, that went well," said Sonic, annoyed by this.

Suddenly, Storm comes toward him.

"Sonic, look out!" Sam warns.

Sonic curiously looks in front of him and notices Storm with a scream in horror. Just then, Knuckles glides down and punches Storm, knocking him off his board before he and Sonic could collide. The board lands on its back on the road as Knuckles lands in front of Sonic who is happy for the assistance.

"Thanks. I owe you one," he tells Knuckles.

Knuckles happily looks at Sonic with a thumbs up.

He chuckles, "Big time."

Tails flies down and lands beside them. He curiously notices Storm's board. It has an insignia of a genie's lamp. Wave grabs Storm's hand and takes him on her airboard as they cruise past Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles who look on in surprise.

"Shoot! They're getting away!" Knuckles angrily points out.

Sonic looks at the road ahead of him for a minute, then, he looks at the airboard at his feet.

"Oh, no, they're not," he responds, becoming determined.

Tails and Knuckles curiously watch Sonic as he grabs the board and tosses it in the air. Then, he jumps on the board and glides after the Babylon Rogues.

Sonic excitedly shouts, "Alright! Now, we're talkin'!"

Tails and Knuckles look on in concern as Sam and his S-Team swerve around them, following Sonic.

"Come on, team!" commands Sam. "Let's give Sonic some backup!"

Sonic, meanwhile, cruises down the highway toward Wave and Storm who ride on the same board by this time. Sonic makes his way past them and heads toward Jet. As soon as they are side by side, Sonic and Jet, using their arms and elbows, try to push each other off the board. They come out of their push, making some space between each other. Soon, Sonic glides in front of Jet.

"Oh, not bad," Jet remarks in admiration.

Sonic, feeling confident, looks behind him. Then, he gasps in shock.

"What the...?" is all he could say.

Jet had disappeared. The S-Team had noticed this as they continue to chase Wave and Storm.

"Where did he go?" Sam asks in shock.

Suddenly, Sonic hears a whistle above him. He looks up and notices Jet, silhouetted in front of the Eggmoon (yep, that's still there), diving down toward Sonic. Jet then knocks Sonic off the board he was riding and lands with his back on the road. Jet looks back at the fallen hedgehog.

Jet teases, "Hmph. So, you're supposed to be the fastest thing alive?"

Storm catches his board as the trio of birds glide down the highway and out of sight. The S-Team stops behind Sonic who sits up and shakes away the feeling of uneasyness. Sam, with his helmet off, runs out of his car and helps Sonic up in concern. Sonic looks at Sam in gratitude.

"Are you okay?" Sam asks Sonic.

Both Sonic and Sam look down the road in concern.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Sonic.

The next day, at the Thorndyke mansion, Cosmo 2, Tails' plant sprout catches the sun's rays on the windowsill. In the living room, Sonic sits on the couch in-between Chris and Amy. Sam stands against the doorway with his arms folded. He wears his casual outfit by this time. Chuck and Tanaka stand behind the couch. Tails sits on one of the arms of the couch beside Amy. Knuckles stands beside the couch beside Chris. Cream and Cheese sit at one end of the coffee table and Maria sits at the other end. Vanilla stands behind Cream and Cheese while Ella stands behind Maria. Everyone's attention is on Sonic who is currently explaining his encounter with the three mysterious birds.

"I just don't understand how anyone can beat me like that," He explains.

"Hmph. Welcome to my world," Sam teases.

"And you never saw them before?" Chris asks Sonic.

Sonic shakes his head in response.

"I don't even know why they want a Chaos Emerald," he adds. "They didn't seem to bother with that before."

"They must have come to this world around the same time as us," Tails mused.

"And Eggman," Knuckles pointed out.

Cream and Cheese happily look at Maria as Cream changes the subject, "I'm just glad that Maria..." she continues as Maria curiously looks at her, "...got Mr. Stewart to be her tutor."

Cheese agrees, "Chao chao."

Maria beams, "Thank you, Cream."

Everyone else happily looks at Maria.

"Wow. You are so lucky," Amy told Maria in admiration.

Maria nods in agreement.

"He has been teaching me a lot," she explains.

"Maria is remarkably intelligent for a girl her age," Chuck explains.

"It helps when you've got a scientist for a grandfather," Maria explains.

Chris and Chuck smile at each other.

"I know the feeling," Chris tells her.

Then, Chris and Chuck curiously notice Tails who had been pondering all this time.

"Hey, Tails, what's wrong?" Chris asks Tails.

Everyone else curiously looks at Tails, too.

"I was just thinking about that mark," Tails explains.

"Mark?" wonders Sonic. "What do you mean?"

Tails looks at Sonic.

"It was on that board of one of those birds we ran into in Station Square," Tails replies. He looks up and concludes, "...the symbol of the Babylonians."

"Babylonians?" Maria asks him.

Tails looks at the others and explains, "Legend told of a island floating above a desert called the Babylon Garden. Supposedly, the Babylonians were great thieves. Legend also says that the Babylonians incurred the wrath of the Gods because of their crimes, so, the island was cast into the depths of the earth. After that, the Babylonians were then scattered for all time, never to be found. But according to rumors, their treasure still remains on that island, waiting to be discovered."

"Do you think that's why those birds were after that Chaos Emerald?" Sonic asks.

Tails looks at Sonic and responds, "It is a possibility they could be connected."

"One thing I don't get is how a plank can just float like that," Knuckles wonders.

Tails happily closes his eyes and points up in a scientific-like manner.

"That's easy to explain," he proudly states. "According to the Kutta-Joukowski Lift Theorem, the control surface flow is balanced by the inverse kinetics of the..."

Sonic yawns in boredom, "Boring. I think I'll see..." he picks up the TV remote and continues, "...what's on the tube."

Sonic turns the TV on, but on the screen is Dr. Eggman!

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Eggman chuckles. "Good day, ladies and gentlemen."

Everyone gasps in surprise upon seeing Eggman on TV.

"Eggman again!" Sonic exclaims. "Just what is he up to this time?"

"I hope you're all ready for a show," Eggman tells the viewers, "we've got an exciting event just for you."

Meanwhile, Topaz, in her military uniform, and Rouge watch in horror Eggman's message on the screens in a military control room.

"I call it the 'EX World Grand Prix'," Eggman announces, "a tournament to see who's the best of the best."

Meanwhile, Shadow watches Eggman's message on the big screen on a building in front of him.

Eggman points out, "Not just a race, but a special race with..." he holds up a gray hoverboard and continues, "...Extreme Gear."

Shadow becomes suspicious.

"Don't have one?" Eggman asks in a TV-salesman-like manner. "Then, you can order them exclusively from the Eggman Corperation. Just call the number on the screen."

Upon these words, the phone number "1-800-555-EGGY" appears at the bottom of the screen.

"We accept cash, check, and money orders," he explains the payment methods. "We don't take credit cards 'cause we expect to be paid right away. So, call now."

The screen quickly changes to Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun sitting at a table with telephones in front of them. They are currently talking on their respective phones.

Eggman tells the viewers, unseen, "Operators are standing by."

Eggman reappears on the screen without the gray "Extreme Gear".

"These races are no-holds-barred and the winner takes it all!" he explains the rules. "And the grand prize?"

The seven Chaos Emeralds appear on the screen in a glass case.

Eggman presents the "prize", "Why, the coveted Chaos Emeralds of course!"

Meanwhile, back in the living room of the Thorndyke mansion, Chris and Chuck gasp in shock upon seeing the Chaos Emeralds in Eggman's possesion.

"Oh, no! Eggman already has all the Chaos Emeralds!" Chris points out.

"Yes, but what is he planning to do with them this time?" Chuck wonders.

Sonic growls at all this.

Eggman dares, "Let's see who among you dares to challenge our finest competitors."

As he spoke, pictures of Jet, Wave, and Storm appear on the screen in a small screen in the top right corner beside Eggman. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Sam gasp in shock upon seeing this.

Sonic spoke up, "Hey, that's..."

"These players," Eggman explains, "they're hot, the best racers I could find! So, do you think you have what it takes?" He laughs, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Sonic mischievously grins as he turns off the TV.

"The EX World Grand Prix, huh?" he muses. "This oughta be fun."

He chuckles. Meanwhile, Topaz and Rouge confidently stare at the screens as they have become static after Eggman's message ends.

"Looks like Eggman's making his move," Topaz points out.

Topaz and Rouge then look at each other.

"Rouge, you must enter the race, find out what Eggman's up to. Make sure you look carefully," Topaz orders Rouge.

Rouge salutes, "You can count on me."

Rouge mischievously grins as she stops saluting.

"This is perfect," she thinks. "Not only will I uncover Eggman's plot, but I'll also get all seven Chaos Emeralds. And I won't let anything stand in my way."

A/N:  
Guess I made Eggman's announcement an infomercial, didn't I? (LOL) And ooh, Rouge is scheming to get the Chaos Emeralds again. Looks like Sonic and the others have a lot on their plate. But first, they need Extreme Gear. And get it, they shall, next chapter. In the meantime, read and review.


	4. Getting in Gear

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Here's where our heroes suit up for the big game. Maria's intelligence is showcased in this chapter, too, based on her experience on the Space Colony ARK when she lived there. So, starting with this story, Maria helps out as much as Chris did in season three, meaning that Maria can give Sonic and the gang equipment that will help them in battles. And, as always, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. So, suit up!

Chapter 3 - Getting in Gear

Inside the garage of the Thorndyke mansion, Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy stand in front of the closed garage door (save for a small crack near the bottom, letting some light in the room), facing Chris and Chuck. All six of them have serious looks on their faces. Pan across Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy from behind Chris and Chuck's backs.

"If you're going to enter this race," Chuck explains, "you must be prepared."

Pan across Chris and Chuck from behind Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy's backs.

"Eggman's got a few tricks up his sleeve," continues Chuck, "so, you must always be on your guard."

Focus on Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy as they listen.

"You need the equipment before you enter the EX World Grand Prix," Chris tells them. Focus on Chris and Chuck as Chris explains, "I've been working on this ever since I got back from our Meterex adventure."

Closeup on Sonic listening to Chris.

"Sonic," Chris tells Sonic, "I've made some modifications on your board since the last time you used it." Closeup of Chris explaining to Sonic, "The time has come to use it again."

He flips on the light switch. Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy gasp in awe upon seeing a hoverboard standing against the wall. The shape of the board resembles that of the hoverboard Sonic used on the ice planet during the Meterex adventure. In fact, this is that very same board, repainted to match Sonic's blue fur. The board has gray in the middle with a yellow border around the gray. Beside the board are three gray sheets the same size and length as the board. Chris walks over to the board and picks it up, holding it in his arms.

"I call it the 'Blue Star'," Chris explains as he walks toward Sonic. "It should give you a fair advantage against those Babylon Rogues." Chris gives the "Blue Star" to Sonic, "Here."

Sonic examines it, then, smiles at Chris. Chris smiles back.

"Sure, that's fine for him, but what about the rest of us?" Knuckles complains.

"Yeah! We wanna race, too!" Amy complains.

"But we don't have Extreme Gear," Tails points out.

Chuck walks to the sheets, facing the others.

"You do now," he says.

He pulls the sheets off and Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, and Amy gasp in shock as Chris smiles at this. There are three hoverboards, a.k.a. Extreme Gear, standing up against the wall. The gear on the left is white and its middle is as pink as Amy. The pink has a yellow border around it and the back end of that board is shaped like a heart and also as pink as Amy. The gear in the middle is as orange as Tails with gray in the middle. The gear on the right is as red as Knuckles and has orange in the middle with a white stripe in the orange running from the front end to the back. Knuckles, Tails, and Amy approach their respective Extreme Gear. Tails picks up his orange gear and holds it in his arms, examining it.

"Tails," Chuck tells Tails, "your Extreme Gear is called the 'Yellow Tail', it will boost your aerodynamic skills."

Knuckles picks up his red gear and holds it in his arms, examining it.

"Knuckles," Chuck tells Knuckles, "your gear is called the 'Red Rock', it will compliment your strength as you race."

Amy picks up her white gear and holds it in her arms, examining it.

"Amy," Chuck tells Amy, "your gear is called the 'Pink Rose' and is as fast as Sonic's gear. Probably, faster."

"Yeah, isn't that helpful?" Sonic chuckles nervously at the thought of Amy actually keeping up with him as he holds his gear, the Blue Star, under his arm.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

Chris giggles at this, knowing how Sonic feels.

Closeup of Chuck as he explains, "Chris and I have been working on these for quite some time, in case a situation like this should ever arise."

Amy, Tails, and Knuckles look at Chuck as he explains. Both Tails and Amy are in awe while Knuckles looks serious.

"These boards are designed for your individual abilities," Chuck continues.

Sonic and Chris smile at Chuck.

"With these, we may be able to get the Chaos Emeralds from Eggman..." Chuck instructs.

Chuck folds his arms and closes his eyes.

He concludes, "...before he could ever get the chance to use them."

Suddenly, the garage door starts to open. Everyone gasps in surprise as they notice this. Sonic and Chris turn to the door. Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Chuck rush to the door and stand beside Sonic and Chris with Tails, Amy, and Knuckles holding their Extreme Gear under their arms. Everyone watches as the door opens completely, revealing Maria happily standing there, holding the garage door remote in her hand. She then brings her hand down to her side.

"So, did I miss anything?" she asks.

Chuck folds his arms and scolds Maria, "Maria, you're supposed to be studying with Mr. Stewart."

"I know," Maria explains, "but I just couldn't wait."

Chuck becomes confused and wonders, "Huh?"

"Couldn't wait for what, Maria?" Chris wonders.

Maria giggles, "I'll show you. Come on."

Maria leads Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Chris, and Chuck down the upstairs hallway.

"If you're gonna race the EX World Grand Prix," Maria explains, "you need to look the part."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Sonic asks her.

Maria opens a door and steps aside for the others to see.

Maria points to inside the room, exclaiming, "Ta-da!"

Everyone else gasps in shock. In this room are clothes that fit Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, laying on the bed, except for the shoes which lay on the floor in front of the bed. The clothes on the bed are silver sunglasses with green lenses, gray goggles with light blue lenses, white goggles with a purple lens, a white and pink tank top, pink pants with white stripes running down the sides of the legs, and red wristbands, each with a yellow stripe in the middle. The shoes are red boots with white laces and gold square buckles, sneakers matching Tails' with white laces, sneakers matching Knuckles' with silver metal plates and zippers, and red and white striped sneakers.

"Do you like them?" Maria beams. "Cream and her mom helped me buy the clothes, but I made the shoes myself, based on the soles of Sonic's sneakers. Guess all that time working on the ARK's computers fin'lly paid off. So, what do you think?"

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy happily approach the clothing. Chris, Maria, and Chuck happily look on.

"I think they like them, don't you?" Chris asks.

Amy picks up the tank top and holds it across her chest. Knuckles holds the white goggles in his hands and admires them. Tails holds the gray goggles in his hand and looks at them with a chuckle. Sonic holds the red boots with his fingers and examines them.

"Cool," Sonic says with a sly grin.

Meanwhile, inside the military base known as Area 99, Topaz and Rouge walk down the hall with serious looks on their faces.

"Rouge," Topaz instructs Rouge, "to succeed in this mission, you're going to have to blend in with the other racers."

A door slides open as Topaz and Rouge stand in front of the doorway.

Topaz points to inside the room, stating, "In here is the equipment you'll need."

Rouge gasps in shock. Inside the room is a tube with a hoverboard floating in it and a glass case on the wall containing clothing that fits Rouge. The hoverboard in the tube is white with black in the middle and a pink heart design in the black. The clothing in the glass case is a black tank top with a white border, black pants with white flower stencils on the legs, white gloves with pink rims and gold bracelets, and white sneakers with pink stripes running from toes to ankles and gold square buckles. Topaz approaches the tube as it opens.

Topaz points to the hoverboard, explaining, "This is your Extreme Gear called the 'Temptation'."

Rouge approaches Topaz as she takes out the gear, the "Temptation". She then hands the Temptation to Rouge.

"It is designed to compliment your aerodynamic skills," Topaz continues.

Rouge holds the Temptation in her arms and examines it.

"But it's not enough to just race," Topaz points out.

Rouge looks at Topaz and wonders, "Oh?"

"You'll also need to look the part," Topaz tells Rouge. Then, Topaz points to the clothing in the glass case, explaining, "That's where this outfit comes in."

Rouge smiles as she looks at the clothing, "Ah."

Topaz folds her arms and closes her eyes.

She explains, "This may be our only chance to stop Dr. Eggman..."

Closeup of Topaz as she looks up.

She concludes, "...before it's too late. Suit up."

Rouge seriously nods in agreement. Meanwhile, Tails pulls on his new sneakers. Then, Knuckles zips up his new sneakers. Then, Amy straightens her tank top. Meanwhile, Rouge pulls on her new gloves. Meanwhile, Sonic places his sunglasses on top of his head. Closeup on both Sonic and Rouge at the same time in two different places, both in their new outfits.

Both Sonic and Rouge exclaim, "Let's see them try to catch me now!"

A/N:  
Ooh, this should be some race, huh? Sorry if I made Maria stereotypical in this chapter, but trust me, it's for the best. I must warn you that this story is gonna be big: It'll be over the three chapter mark (not counting the prologue) I've set in my "Sonic X" fics. So, after every three chapters is like a break between episodes, like a two-parter. However, since this is a written story and not actual aired episodes, this story will not break into two separate fics. (Lucky you.) Thus, you only need to wait for the next trio of chapters for a "To be continued...". So, until next chapter, read and review.


	5. On Your Marks

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Okay, time to get the show on the road! I've added Cream and Cheese in this fic, but merely as spectators. Sorry about that, but look on the bright side: At least, I've included them in my "Sonic Riders" fic at all. Oh, and Cream's wearing her clothes from the original game. And just like before, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. Now, let's start our engines!

Chapter 4 - On Your Marks...

In a tropical jungle called Splash Canyon, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy ride on their Extreme Gear, going around in a lap. They are in their new outfits that Maria made for them: Sonic wears his silver sunglasses over his eyes and his red boots, Tails wears his silver goggles over his eyes and his new shoes, Knuckles wears his white goggles over his eyes and his new shoes, and Amy wears her white and pink tank top, her pink pants, her red wristbands and her sneakers. Chris, Sam, Maria, Cream, and Cheese watch Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy race. Chris now wears clothes that match the clothes he wore when he was twelve, but these actually fit his eighteen-year-old body. Cream now wears a yellow visor on her head, an orange tank top with a white stripe around the bottom rim and a yellow star in the middle of her chest, orange shorts with white stripes running down the sides of the legs, white gloves with silver bracelets, and sneakers matching her old shoes with orange squares at the legs and silver anklets.

"Wow. Look at 'em go!" admires Chris

Cream and Cheese look at Maria as Cream tells her, "Thank you again, Maria..." Maria looks at her and Cheese as Cream continues, "...for these new clothes you bought for me."

"I'm glad you like them, Cream," Maria beams.

"Like them? I love them!" Cream exclaims. "And so does my mom." She and Cheese look at each other as Cream asks her chao, "Don't you, Cheese?"

"Chao chao!" Cheese excitedly replies.

Maria giggles, "That's good."

She, Cream, and Cheese watch Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy race.

"Huh. If only I had Extreme Gear, then, I'd really show Sonic," Sam remarks.

Suddenly, he, Chris, Maria, Cream, and Cheese curiously hear some hearty laughter coming toward them. They look in the direction of the laughter and notice Wave approaching them. She stands beside them, facing them as they face her.

"Sorry, but it's just too funny!" Wave teases. "A human on Extreme Gear? Now, that, I'd like to see."

Sam growls angrily upon hearing this.

"You may just get your chance!" he warns Wave.

He starts to approach Wave, but Chris holds him back.

"Easy, Sam," Chris tells Sam. "Remember why we're here, to support Sonic and the others."

Sam calms down and replies, "I know, I know."

As Chris lets go of Sam, Sonic runs to Chris and stands beside him, holding his Extreme Gear, the Blue Star, under his arm. Sonic's sunglasses are on the top of his head by this time.

"What's all the commotion over here?" Sonic asks.

Chris, Sam, Maria, Cream, and Cheese notice Sonic as he speaks.

"You finished the practice run already?" Chris wonders.

"Yep. Came in first, as usual," Sonic brags.

Tails, Knuckles, and Amy walk toward the others, holding their respective Extreme Gear under their arms. Tails now has his goggles on the top of his head while Knuckles wears his goggles around his neck.

"That's Sonic, always the speed demon," Knuckles responds.

"I see," Wave reploes.

Everyone curiously looks at her.

Wave curiously notices Sonic's gear and asks, "Huh?" She points to the gear and says, "That gear's unusual."

Sonic notices his gear, wondering, "What, this?"

He takes the Blue Star out from under his arm and looks at it.

"I built that myself," Chris explains.

Wave asks Sonic, "May I?"

Sonic hands her the Blue Star.

Wave examines the gear in her hands and ponders, "Hmm." She thinks, "This isn't half bad. ...for a human."

She turns the gear around so that the back faces her, making sure the front faces the others. She takes a little glowing button out of her pocket, hidden from the others' view.

She thinks as she places the button on the gear's back, "Still, you can never be too careful."

She laughs heartily again and then, tosses the gear to Sonic who catches it.

"Well, I never imagined anyone would enter the race with such a piece of junk," Wave teases.

She laughs some more as Chris gasps in shock upon hearing her insult. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Sam, and Maria also gasp in shock at this.

Wave walks away, saying, "Thanks, though. It was good for a laugh."

She smirks as she walks out of their sight.

Amy angrily shouts, "Oh, that girl! Who does she think she is?"

**A red vein sticks out of her forehead.**

Knuckles angrily shouts, "Yeah! How can she just diss Chris like that?"

**A blue vein sticks out of his forehead.**

Chris just looks down, sadly.

Sonic comforts Chris, "Hey, Chris, you always do your best, so, don't let her get to you."

Chris looks at Sonic and tells him, "Yeah, but she has a point. I just need to fine tune some things." He then becomes confident and states, "Don't worry..." he raises his fist as he continues, "I'll unlock the secret of the Extreme Gear!"

Sonic gives a thumbs up with a sly grin. Meanwhile, Rouge walks down the hall of a heated factory called the Egg Factory. She holds her Extreme Gear, the Temptation, under her arm and wears her new outfit: Her black tank top, black pants, white gloves with gold bracelets, and white sneakers. She is looking around.

"There must be something in this dump I can use," she wonders, "something that tells me where Eggman is keeping the Chaos Emeralds."

She gasps in surprise as she notices a door open across from her. She smiles and heads toward the door. She enters through the doorway into an office and approaches a laptop computer on the desk. She places her gear beside her as she sits in front of the laptop and lifts the screen up.

"Now, this is more like it!" she proclaims.

She turns on the screen and types on the keyboard. Then, she gasps in surprise as she stops typing.

She mischievously grins, "Well, well, well. Looks like Topaz may get her information after all."

She turns off the screen and closes the laptop just as Bocoe and Decoe walk in. The three of them gasp in shock upon seeing each other. Bocoe and Decoe become angry at Rouge.

"Hey! You cannot come in here!" Decoe scolds Rouge.

"This area is off limits!" Bocoe scolds Rouge.

Rouge mischievously grins. She grabs her gear and puts the laptop under her arm. Then, she flips over the desk and past Bocoe and Decoe. The two robots are surprised at this and look at Rouge who jumps on her gear and rides it down the hall, away from them.  
They become angry at her.

"Stop!" Decoe orders.

"Get back here!" Bocoe orders as he and Decoe chase after Rouge.

Rouge rides through the Egg Factory while Bocoe and Decoe chase her. She makes a sharp turn and flips off the wall. She lands safely as she continues through the factory just as Bocoe and Decoe skid to turn and continue the chase. Then, she rides off a nearby ramp and over the chasing robots' heads. She lands safely and the chase continues. She then flies up off her gear, taking it under her arm. At that moment, Bocoe and Decoe notice the wall in front of them and scream in horror as they try to stop, but it's too late: They hit the wall face first. Then, they faint. Rouge flies over them with her gear and the laptop under her arms. She then flies out of the factory.

"Oh, the doctor will not like this when he finds out we lost his journal," Decoe complains.

"He will turn us into scrap metal for sure," Bocoe complains.

A/N:  
Uh-oh, Rouge is already in trouble. And just what is Wave planning with that mysterious device on Sonic's board? You'll have to wait 'til next chapter to find out. 'Til then, read and review.


	6. Jungle Bungle

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Now, here is where the fun really begins. I've changed a few scenes around, namely, the scene where Knuckles and Storm confront each other again. Instead of it taking place in the Egg Factory, this scene is set in Green Cave, right after Sonic's and Jet's. And, as always, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. Now, let's join the fun!

Chapter 5 - Jungle Bungle

In a forest called Green Cave, Wave holds the red bead, separated from her necklace, which brings up a holographic screen that shows Jet's Extreme Gear, "Type-J". Wave touches the screen with a stylus.

"Hmm. If I increase the boost here and reduce the air flow here," Wave muses, "we might have a better chance of winning the race."

Jet is resting nearby, watching Wave work on the Extreme Gear on the screen.

"I don't see what the big deal is," he breaks the silence.

Wave curiously looks at him as the screen disappears.

"Just sit down and relax," Jet encourages her. "Chill, Wave."

Wave angrily responds, "Hmph. Really, Jet! How can you be so relaxed at a time like this?"

She puts the bead back on her necklace and puts the stylus in her pocket.

"Don't you see?" she continues, "This race is important. As a leader, you've got responsibilities."

Jet groans upon hearing this and looks away.

Wave continues, "Some you understand, but you..."

Suddenly, she and Jet curiously hear some swooshing.

They look toward the "swooshing" and wonder, "Huh?"

They see Sonic doing mid-air tricks on his gear, the Blue Star. Jet mischievously grins.

"Hmm. I think it's time for a little fun," he declares.

He laughs as he runs to Sonic. Wave gasps as she watches Jet leave.

"Hey, Jet! You come back here right now!" she angrily scolds him.

Too late: Jet jumps from tree branch to tree branch as he fades from sight. Wave sighs in disgust.

**A sweatdrop rolls down the side of her head.**

"Why do I even bother?" she tells herself. "He'll never change. Some leader."

Meanwhile, Sonic rides off a ramp and does another mid-air trick. Tails, Amy, and Chris watch him nearby. Sonic lands safely and rides toward the others. He jumps off his gear and holds it in his hand, standing it up, as he stands in front of his friends.

Sonic gives a thumbs up and winks, "So, whaddya think? Not bad, huh?"

"You sure are improving," Chris admires.

"Nice one, Sonic," Tails compliments Sonic.

Amy beams, "You're the best!"

Just then, Jet's voice rings out, "Not very impressive for someone of your reputation."

Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Chris gasp in surprise upon hearing this. They look above them and notice Jet standing on a tree branch over them.

"You know, I've checked you out actually," Jet explains to Sonic. "I admit you're pretty fast on your feet. But here, it's a whole different story when riding with Extreme Gear. You see, to be the fastest on a gear, you have to become one with the wind. Without wings, well, you might as well kiss the ground and go home."

Sonic growls angrily upon hearing this.

"Let's face it," Jet teases Sonic, "the dirt suits you so well."

He leaps up and out of sight, laughing. Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Chris gasp in surprise upon seeing this. Chris approaches Sonic.

Chris comforts Sonic, "Hey, Sonic, don't let him get to you."

Sonic smiles, "Who says I am?" He looks at Chris and tells him, "I don't think he's all talk, you know." He looks in front of him and continues, "I better be on my toes during this competition." He chuckles as he holds his fist up, "This could be more fun than I thought!"

The device on the back of Sonic's gear, which remains unnoticed all this time, flashes a red light. Meanwhile, in another part of Green Cave, Cheese does various surfing poses on Knuckles' Extreme Gear, the Red Rock. Zoom out to reveal that the gear has never left the ground and Knuckles, Cream, and Maria are sitting beside the gear, happily looking on.

"He sure is having fun," Maria admires.

Cream giggles, "I think he likes riding on Extreme Gear."

Knuckles stands up and announces, "Well, why not give him the full experience?"

Cream and Maria curiously look at Knuckles and wonder, "Huh?"

"Come on, girls," he tells them, "help me with the gear."

Cream and Maria stand up.

"But, Knuckles," Maria points out, "don't you normally lift ten times your own weight? You could lift it on your own."

"Yeah, that's true," Knuckles explains, "but I need to balance it while moving." He winks, "Get it?"

Cream and Maria giggle upon realizing Knuckles' plan.

"I get it now," said Cream.

Maria agrees, "Me, too."

Knuckles, Cream, and Maria lift the gear to their waistline with Knuckles on one side and Cream and Maria on the other. This makes Cheese stop "surfing" and gasp in surprise. Knuckles, Cream, and Maria then look in front of them.

"Alright, on the count of three," Knuckles instructs. "1, 2... 3!"

At this, he, Cream, and Maria run through the forest while holding the Extreme Gear. Cheese happily "rides" the gear. At that very moment, Storm walks through the forest on the same path in the opposite direction, holding his Extreme Gear, "Type-S". Soon, they all head toward each other and notice this in horror.

Storm stops walking and screams, "Aah!"

Knuckles, Cream, and Maria scream as they try to brake, "Aah!"

The threesome are moving so fast, they can't stop no matter how hard they try, thus, they bump into Storm and everyone falls on the ground upon impact. Their respective gears fall on the ground. They all shake off their dizziness and look at each other. Upon seeing each other, Knuckles and Storm gasp in shock.

Knuckles and Storm point at each other, exclaiming, "You?"

Storm angrily blames Knuckles, "Why doncha watch where you're going?"

Knuckles angrily replies, "Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you."

Storm stands up and vows, "I'll make sure to pay you back for this!"

Knuckles stands up and responds, "Hah! I let you get away last time, but definitely not today!"

Cream, Cheese, and Maria stand up, worriedly looking on.

"Why wait 'til later, punk? I'll pay you back tenfold now!" Storm tells Knuckles.

Knuckles winds up to punch, proclaiming, "Not gonna happen!"

He starts to punch, but Storm stops it by holding his hand in his hand. Knuckles gasps in shock upon this. Cream, Cheese, and Maria gasp in shock, too.

"He stopped Knuckles' punch," Cream points out.

Cheese agrees, "Chao chao chao."

Storm chuckles, "What're you doin', you clumsy fool? Was that supposed to be some kind of punch?"

He winds up to punch.

Knuckles snickers, "Oh, no, you don't."

He slips out of Storm's grasp and flips over him just as Storm punches. Suddenly, Storm worriedly loses his balance and falls flat on his face just as Knuckles lands safely behind him. Knuckles looks back and chuckles at Storm's misfortune. Cream, Cheese, and Maria giggle at this, too. Storm angrily stands up and faces Knuckles.

**A red vein sticks out of his forehead.**

"That does it!" Storm declares.

Knuckles responds in determination, "Bring it!"

He and Storm wind up to punch again as Cream, Cheese, and Maria gasp in shock. Maria quickly goes between Knuckles and Storm as they start to punch.

Maria bravely holds up her hands in front of Knuckles and Storm, telling them, "That's enough!"

Knuckles' and Storm's punches stop before they could connect. Knuckles and Storm gasp in surprise upon seeing Maria between them like that and they bring their hands down.

"Maria?" Knuckles wonders.

"Get outta the way, human!" Storm angrily warns Maria. "This does not concern you!"

Maria brings her hands down as she looks at him.

"There are other ways to settle disputes than by fighting," she explains. She happily looks at Knuckles and suggests, "So, why don't you have a race..." she looks back at Storm as she continues, "...to see who's better?"

Cream and Cheese smile upon hearing this.

"That's a great idea!" Cream agrees.

Cheese agrees, "Chao chao!"

Knuckles becomes determined and replies, "Alright, the track then. We'll settle this there."

Storm snickers, "Looking forward to it."

A/N:  
Ooh, looks like this will be some race. Tune in next chapter to see the outcome. (As if those of you who played the game didn't know already.)


	7. Strength in Others

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
Well, here it is: The race between Knuckles and Storm! And like in the previous chapter, this scene is in Green Cove instead of Egg Factory. Plus, Rouge reveals Eggman's plan much to the surprise of the Babylon Rogues. Contains spoilers, so, don't read unless you've played the game. (Unless you want to be spoiled, cheaters.) And like before, all anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. So, let's get this race started!

Chapter 6 - Strength in Others

Knuckles and Storm are on their Extreme Gear, getting ready for their race to start. Cream and Cheese sit on a nearby boulder to watch the race. Maria stands in front of them with a white handkerchief in her hand.

Maria starts out, "On your mark..."

Knuckles and Storm growl at each other.

Maria holds up her handkerchief and continues, "...get set..."

Cream and Cheese hold their hands, worriedly. Suddenly, Maria quickly drops her hand while she's still holding her handkerchief, indicating that Knuckles and Storm can start to race. And they do, going around Maria who looks on and jumping off the cliff. They land safely on the ground while still on their gear. They race past the trees and though the vines. Maria sits with Cream and Cheese on the rock as they watch the race. Meanwhile, Knuckles and Storm race up the waterfall. (Don't ask how.) They both are neck and neck with each other. They fly off and each does a mid-air trick, different from the other. They land on the ground and head toward the vines. Each of them grabs a vine and swings on it, keeping their gear on their feet. As soon as they land, Knuckles is in the lead and he passes by Maria, Cream, and Cheese who happily cheer. Storm angrily stops and hovers as he looks on. Knuckles jumps off his gear and shakes his fist in the air with a satisfied laugh. Storm sneers at this and rides his gear away from the celebrating group. Later, outside an old coliseum in a desert called Sand Ruins, Jet sits on a broken pillar and watches Wave who impatiently taps her foot with her arms folded.

"Oh," she blurts out. "Oh, boy. Oh, boy." She then stomps and drops her arms to her side, shouting, "Ugh! What's taking Storm so long? The final race is about to start!"

Jet shakes his head in disbelief with a sigh.

"Don't get so worked up, Wave," he assured her. "He'll be here."

Storm's voice suddenly rang out, "Boss!"

Jet and Wave curiously look in front of the as Storm worriedly rides toward them on his gear, Type-S. He jumps off his gear and stands in front of them as Jet approaches Storm.

"I lost to him! Can't believe I lost to him!" complains Storm.

"Who?" Jet asks.

"The red echidna beat me! ...in a race! ...at Green Cave!"

Jet gasps in surprise, "What?"

"Man, you really are worthless!" Wave teases.

Storm angrily looks at Wave and protests, "It's not my fault!"

A red vein sticks out of his forehead.

Storm nervously comes up with a reason, "He must've have cheated somehow." He becomes confident in his answer, "Yeah, that's it! Maybe he used a special type of gear."

Wave gasps in surprise, "What? Are you implying that you lost because of your gear, which I built?" She angrily protests, "Need I remind you that no one can tune a gear the way I can?"

A red vein sticks out of her forehead.

"Here we go again," Jet groans.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.

"Accept it, buddy," Wave continues, "it's not the gear, your skills just suck!"

Storm gasps in shock, "Wh-What? S-S-Suck?"

Jet then curiously hears a voice in the distance.

Wave keeps scolding Storm, "That's right." She snaps her fingers with each letter she spells, "S-U-C-K. Suck."

Storm is still in disbelief as he wonders, "S-Su..."

Jet looks at Wave and Storm and instructs them, "Shh. Listen."

He looks away from his teammates and listens some more.

Rouge's voice speaks, "You were right."

Wave and Storm listen to the voice, too.

Rouge's voice continues, "Looks like Eggman's got a hidden agenda, as usual."

Jet motions to Wave and Storm to follow him. The Babylon Rogues walk around the coliseum toward the voice. They hide behind a fallen pillar as they notice Rouge hovering above the ground, looking as though she was sitting, treating the air like her own personal chair. She has a laptop open in her arm with its screen on and wears a communicator on her ear.

Rouge speaks through her communicator, "Are you getting all this, Topaz?"

Topaz's voice on the communicator tells her, "I sure am.Who'd have thought that Eggman was after some ancient treasure?

"I know. But that's Eggman for ya," Rouge replies. "According to his online journal, it's believed that this ancient treasure could be advanced technology of the Babylonians."

The Babylon Rogues gasp in shock upon hearing this.

Rouge continues telling the legend, not noticing the Babylon Rogues watching her, "There's a legend here that tells about a boy who received an angel's wing as a gift and with it, he was able to control the skies."

Topaz's voice on the communicator remarks, "Sounds like a fairy tale to me."

"Maybe," Rouge responds, "but judging by what Eggman wrote in his journal, it looks like he believes the legend is more than a legend."

Storm sadly complains, "Aw, man. I guess it's not a gem after all."

Wave seriously looks at Storm and tells him, "Hey, wait a second, Storm."

Jet and Storm curiously look at Wave.

"While Eggman may not look smart, he is," Wave explains. "He has an IQ of three-hundred after all. If he's interested in this technology, it must have value."

"Are you saying there's profit in this?" Storm asks.

Jet gasps in surprise as he looks back at Rouge, but still hears what Wave is saying.

"Think about it," said Wave, "it may be more valuable than finding silver or gold."

Jet smiles upon hearing this. Then, he imagines himself laying on a huge mound of gold coins, happily laughing and tossing some coins in the air. Suddenly, his dream is interrupted by a loud whistle. Jet snaps out of it and looks in the direction of the whistle which came from Wave who looks at Jet.

Jet angrily protests, "Why'd you do that? I was just having this great daydream!"

A red vein sticks out of his forehead.

Wave points out to her side and instructs, "Look."

Jet curiously looks to where Rouge was, but the bat is not there.

Wave explains, "That bat just left for the race." She continues as Jet looks at her, "And we should be going, too."

Jet excitedly shakes his fist, declaring, "Alright! Time to settle this with Sonic the Hedgehog once and for all!"

He, Wave, and Storm head toward the coliseum entrance and the final race of the EX World Grand Prix!

A/N:  
So ends part 2. Part 3 starts next chapter. Who will win, Sonic or Jet? Tune in next time.


	8. Fast to the Finish

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
This is it: Part Three! And what better way to start than with the big race! Who will win and take the grand prize of all seven Chaos Emeralds? Read on and see. Oh, and don't forget, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. And away we go!

Chapter 7 - Fast to the Finish

A huge crowd has gathered in the blachers inside the coliseum at Sand Ruins. Among the crowd are Sam, Chris, Maria, Cream, and Cheese who are just settling down in their seats in the stands.

The announcer's voice booms through the speakers, "Our race has now reached its final stage. The participating competitors are pacing, anxious for the race to begin."

Meanwhile, Shadow watches this scene on the big screen downtown.

"Who will win this big event?" concludes the announcer.

Back in the coliseum, Sonic stands near the racetrack with the Blue Star under his arm as Tails and Amy stand in front of him.

"Good luck out there, Sonic," Tails encourages Sonic.

Amy tells Sonic, "We'll be in the stands, cheering you on!"

Sonic gives a thumbs up and winks. Meanwhile, nearby, Rouge brushes her hair back while she holds the Temptation under her arm as Knuckles approaches her, suspiciously.

"I knew you would be here," he tells her. She looks at him as he scolds her, "There's no way you would pass up a chance at getting the Chaos Emeralds for yourself."

"What can I say, Knuckie? Old habits die hard," Rouge teases. "Speaking of old habits..."

She brushes her finger against Knuckles' chest which makes him blush in embarrassment.

"...we should rekindle that old spark of ours," Rouge tempts Knuckles.

He quickly shakes it off and angrily grabs her hand which makes her gasp in surprise.

"We never had any spark!" Knuckles insists. "We're rivals. Always were, always will be." He drops her hand, telling her, "Remember that."

He marches away from Rouge.

She calls to Knuckles with a sly grin, "That's not what you said after we defeated Dark Oak!"

Meanwhile, nearby, Jet stands with Type-J under his arm as Wave and Storm stand in front of him.

"You can do it, boss!" Storm encourages Jet. "You're the best!"

Jet proudly closes his eyes and proclaims, "As if there was any doubt."

"Don't forget," Wave points out, "my secret weapon will make sure you keep the lead."

"Probably won't need it," Jet replies with a wink, "but it doesn't hurt to have a little insurance on hand just in case."

He walks toward the racetrack, laughing. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles join Sam, Chris, Maria, Cream, and Cheese in the stands.

Announcer's voice sounds through the speakers, "And now, a few words from our master of ceremonies."

Eggman comes on the big screen above the stands.

"More like the master of disaster," Knuckles complains.

Eggman announces on the TV, "And now, it's time for the final event! And it's set here in Sand Ruins! Remember..."

The seven Chaos Emeralds hover above a table at the top of a nearby staircase.

"...the grand prize will be won by the racer who wins this race!"

Sonic and Rouge stand at the starting line as Jet approaches Sonic, standing beside him.

Eggman concludes, "Now, get ready, it's time for the final race to begin!"

"Hah!" Jet teases as Sonic looks at him. "You're lucky you got this far. It obviously wasn't due to your 'skills'."

He laughs, but Sonic shrugs it off with a sly grin.

"We'll just see who's got the skills," Sonic replies.

Sonic, Jet, and Rouge face the starting line.

Announcer's voice booms through the speakers, "On your marks, get set..."

A loud bullhorn sounds through the speakers, signaling the start of the race. Sonic, Jet, and Rouge throw their respective gear in the air. They then jump on them and race out of the coliseum. The crowd in the stands cheer them on.

Tails and Chris cheer, "Go, Sonic!"

Knuckles cheers, "You can do it!"

Amy cheers, "We believe in you!"

Sam cheers, "Don't let us down!"

Cream cheers, "We know you can win!"

Cheese cheers, "Chao chao!"

Maria worriedly holds her hands to her heart.

"Come on, Sonic," is all she can say.

Sonic, Jet, and Rouge swerve around the rising pillars in the desert. They then enter an ancient temple and race up the steps. They zip pass the hieroglyphics on the walls and fly out the window, into the streets of an abandoned desert village. They maneuver around the empty buildings. They make their way out into the desert and toward the coliseum. They rush through the coliseum as the crowd cheers them on. This continues for two more laps, but by the third and final lap, before reaching the coliseum, Rouge is last, Jet is in second, and Sonic is far ahead in the lead. Jet gets fustrated about losing to Sonic.

"No!" he shouts.

Meanwhile, Wave looks on from behind a stone slab. She quickly gets behind the slab, out of view. She brings out a remote control with one button and pushes said button. At that moment, the red light on the back of Sonic's gear shines brightly and explodes, destroying Sonic's gear, the Blue Star, in the process. Sonic falls face first in the sand because of this, landing a few inches from the finish line. Jet notices this with a gasp in surprise and then, starts to smile.

Jet thinks, "Wave, you always think of ev'rything."

He races past Sonic, crossing the finish line with Rouge jumping off her gear in concern and landing beside Sonic. Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Sam, Chris, Maria, Cream, and Cheese stand up with gasps in horror upon seeing this.

"Sonic!" they call out.

Cheese cries out in horror, "Chao chao chao!"

Rouge kneels beside Sonic who looks up.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"I think so," replies Sonic.

Jet then approaches them as they curiously look at him.

"So, how does the ground taste?" Jet teases. "I wouldn't know, I've never tasted it myself."

He laughs as he walks away. Sonic growls.

Rouge helps him up, telling him, "Don't let that jerk get to you, Sonic."

Sonic and Rouge look at Jet as Sonic notes, "He must've cheated somehow. My gear wouldn't explode like that on its own."

Jet walks up the steps toward the Chaos Emeralds on the table. Wave stands beside Storm as they look on from near the entrance. Sonic and Rouge look on from the finish line while Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Sam, Chris, Maria, Cream, and Cheese look on while standing in the stands. Soon, Jet stands in front of the Chaos Emeralds. He takes his control box out of his pocket and raises it over his head. The emeralds float toward Jet and circle around him. Each of the emeralds shoot a beam of light at the box. As soon as the beams fade, the box shoots out its own beam of light into the middle of the desert. The beam fades away as that spot in the desert starts to shake. Everyone gasps in shock at this, including Jet who brings the box down to his side. Suddenly, a huge tropical island comes out from under the ground in the middle of the desert. The island hovers above that spot.

"It's the Babylon Garden," says Jet in awe.

Suddenly, a crane hand quickly snatches the box out of his hand.

Jet looks at his hand in surprise and wonders, "Huh?"

Just then, Eggman flies behind him in his Egg Mobile, holding the box in his hand.

Eggman chuckles, "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!"

Jet angrily looks at Eggman and growls, "Eggman!"

Sonic angrily growls at this, "So, that's his plan. The Chaos Emeralds were only the bait."

"Now I'll get the treasure of the Babylon Garden!" Eggman proclaims.

Maria becomes determined and jumps out of the stands and on one of the wings of the Egg Mobile. Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Sam, Chris, Cream, and Cheese gasp in shock as do Sonic and Rouge. Shadow also gasps in shock as he watches this scene on the big screen downtown. Eggman notices, too, with a gasp in surprise.

Eggman frowns, "Maria."

Maria frowns back, "Eggman."

"I suppose you want me to give this back," Eggman notes.

Maria crawls closer to him and tells him, "And this is the part where you try to stop me."

Eggman mischievously grins and responds, "I have a better idea, I'll up the ante..." he grabs a shocked Maria and proclaims, "by taking a hostage!"

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, Cream, Chris, Sam, and Shadow cry out, "Maria!"

Cheese cries out, "Chao chao chao!"

The Egg Mobile flies out of the coliseum.

"Just try and stop me now, Sonic!" Eggman challenges Sonic.

He laughs as the Egg Mobile flies out of sight. Shadow watches all this on the big screen.

"She's in trouble!" he proclaims. "I must do something!"

Suddenly, he holds his head as he groans in pain. He then kneels on the ground and holds his stomach, still groaning. He starts to get a memory of taking Maria down the hallway of Space Colony ARK with Professor Gerald Robotnik following them as the military soldiers chase them with guns in their hands. The memory then disappears as Shadow shakes off his pain and stands up, looking at the screen.

"My memory is still trying to recover," he thinks.

He turns away, but then, looks back at the screen.

"Sonic, it's up to you, now," he thinks.

He looks away from the screen as he walks away. Meanwhile, back at the coliseum, Jet is at the bottom of the staircase by this time as he runs over to Wave and Storm.

"We have to stop Eggman from getting that treasure!" Jet instructs his team.

Wave and Storm nod in determined agreement, "Right!"

They jump on their gear and ride out of the coliseum, chasing after Eggman. Meanwhile, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge stand in a circle near the finish line. They are all angry at what just happened.

Rouge explains her undercover mission, "Eggman's after the treasure of the Babylon Garden, supposedly, some sort of technology far more advanced than the Extreme Gear. I entered this race to secretly investigate Eggman's true motives."

"Are you sure you weren't in it for the Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckles teases.

Rouge nervously giggles and scratches her head upon hearing this.

A sweatdrop rolls down the side of her head.

"Don't forget, Eggman has Maria," Tails reminds the others.

"They may be cousins, but his jealousy for her is bad news," Amy points out.

"It's settled then," Sonic proclaims. "We'll stop Eggman and save Maria!"

Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy nod in determined agreement, "Mm-hmm."

Chris calls out to Sonic "Sonic!"

Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge curiously look at Chris. Chris happily waves in the air an Extreme Gear that looks like the Blue Star, only with extra wings on the top and bottom sides.

"Use this new gear I built for you," Chris tells Sonic. "I had it made in case something happened to your old gear. It's called the 'Blue Star II'." He tosses the "Blue Star II" to Sonic, calling out, "Catch!"

Sonic happily catches the gear as the others happily look on.

Sonic gives a thumbs up to Chris, "Thanks, Chris!"

Chris gives a thumbs up back.

Sam happily calls out to Sonic "Go get 'im, Sonic!"

Cream happily calls out to Sonic, "We're all counting on you, Sonic!"

Cheese excitedly shouts, "Chao chao!"

The crowd excitedly chants Sonic's name. Sonic nods to Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Rouge. Then, they jump on their respective gear and ride out of the coliseum as the crowd cheers them on while Sam, Chris, Cream, and Cheese look on.

A/N:  
Now, it's getting good. It's a race to stop Eggman from getting the treasure. Who will get there first? You'll have to wait 'til next chapter to see.


	9. When Hedgehogs Fly

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
It's a race to stop Eggman and rescue Maria! But who will get there first, Sonic or Jet? Keep reading.

Chapter 8 - When Hedgehogs Fly...

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy race through Sand Ruins toward the Babylon Garden on their respective Extreme Gear. Suddenly, Jet hovers down beside Sonic and races along side him.

"Jet?" Sonic notices in surprise.

Jet angrily looks at Sonic and warns, "Get outta my way, Sonic! I have a score to settle with Eggman!"

Rouge and Amy notice with gasps in shock Wave coming down to race beside them as Tails and Knuckles angrily notice Storm doing the same thing with them.

Sonic explains to Jet in determination, "So do we. He has a human girl in his grasp!"

"So, what? You can't catch up with him at the pace you're going," Jet doubts.

"Was that suppossed to be a challenge?" Sonic asks with a sly grin.

"Maybe," Jet admits with a sly grin.

Sonic replies, "Well, then, I'll show you what true speed really is!" He looks ahead of him and adds, "Even without wings, I can still fly, right?"

Jet looks ahead of him and dares Sonic, "We'll see about that."

Everyone looks ahead of them as they race toward the Babylon Garden with Sonic and Jet in the lead. The two rivals swerve around some old pillars in the path. Then, just like in downtown Station Square the night before, they push each other with their elbows. They soon break away from each other as they swerve past some more pillars. Suddenly, they head toward a store slab that is placed like a ramp. They both fly off the ramp up to the main road of the Babylon Garden leading to an ancient vine-covered temple. Sonic lands safely on this road, but Jet sommersalts off his gear with a scream in horror and lands on the road face first while his gear lands on top of him. Sonic stops and worriedly notices this. He glides over to Jet who bangs his fist on the road in frustration.

Sonic happily holds his hand out to Jet and tells him, "That was fun. We should do it again sometime."

Jet curiously looks at Sonic's hand reaching to him as if to help him up.

He angrily slaps Sonic's hand away, telling him, "Save it!"

Sonic gasps in surprise at this.

"I don't want your pity, nor do I need it!" explains Jet.

Sonic plaeds with Jet, "But..."

Tails and Knuckles land beside Sonic, still on their gear. Tails puts his hand on Sonic's shoulder as Sonic looks at him.

"Let it go, Sonic," Tails comforts Sonic.

Knuckles comforts Sonic, "Yeah." Sonic looks at him as he explains, "He needs some time to himself."

Sonic gently smiles, "Okay."

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles ride their gear toward the temple at the end of the road as Rouge and Amy come up and join them. Wave and Storm worriedly ride up to Jet. Storm gets Type-J off Jet while Wave kneels beside him as he gets up on his knees. The Babylon Rogues then look at Sonic and the others who have gone to the temple. At the entrance to the temple, Eggman walks toward the doorway just as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy pull up at a distance behind him.

"Stop right there, Eggman!" demands Sonic.

Suddenly, Eggman stops and turns around with an evil grin on his face, holding Maria tight in his arm. Maria struggles to get free, but to no avail. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy gasp in shock upon seeing this.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy call out, "Maria!"

Eggman snickers, "Heh, heh, heh. Look before you move. Now, then, Sonic, just be a good hedgehog and stay still. You don't want to see anything bad happen to Maria now, do you?"

Sonic angrily growls. Eggman then turns to the doorway and raises Jet's control box above his head, keeping Maria in his grasp. Suddenly, Sonic gives a sly grin. He revs up his gear, the Blue Star II, and Eggman notices with a gasp in surprise. The Blue Star II leaves a whirlwind behind because of this, blinding Eggman and Maria. As soon as the whirlwind fades Sonic is nowhere to be seen. Eggman and Maria curiously look around.

"Where did he go?" Eggman wonders.

Just then, a whistle is heard above him. Eggman and Maria look above their heads. Eggman gasps in horror, but Maria smiles brightly. Sonic is silhouetted in front of the sun and dives down toward Eggman.

"Aah!" Eggman screams.

The Babylon Rogues arrive in time to curiously see Eggman tossed away by another whirlwind and flung out of sight. A brief little twinkle of light flashes, indicating that Eggman had been flung really far out. Maria was also flung by the whirlwind and cries in fright because of this. She then falls toward the ground just as the whirlwind dies down, but Sonic rushes over, still on his gear, and catches her just in time. Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy cheer excitedly upon seeing this. Maria happily hugs Sonic.

"Thanks, Sonic," she tells him.

"That's what I'm here for," he tells her.

The Babylon Rogues then look above them. Jet's control box falls toward them. Jet catches it in his hand as Wave and Storm look on. They stare at the box for a minute. Then, they look at Sonic and Maria as they jump off the Blue Star II and Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy, who have their gear under their arms, run over to Sonic and Maria. They all talk excitedly about Sonic's daring rescue of Maria. Jet then starts to smile at this scene.

"You know, maybe, that hedgehog isn't so bad after all," Jet muses.

Wave and Storm smile, too. Then, the Babylon Rogues go to the doorway. Jet raises his control box above his head and the box starts to glow. This causes the doors to open. Suddenly, an evil voice starts to growl. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, and Maria notice this with gasps in shock.

"What was that?" wonders Amy.

Jet brings his hand down and he, Wave, and Storm enter a chamber past the doorway.

"They must be getting the treasure now that Eggman's out of the way," Rouge notes.

Sonic chuckles, "Heh, heh. Finally, something interesting."

With his gear under his arm, Sonic runs over to the chamber inside the temple.

Maria worriedly follows Sonic, saying, "Sonic, wait!"

Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy worriedly follow Sonic and Maria. Inside the chamber, the Babylon Rogues enter an enormous and seemingly endless corridor past another set of open doors at the other end. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, and Maria enter the chamber and then, the doors behind them suddenly close with a thud. They look behind them with gasps in surprise. Then, they look around just as the evil voice growls again. Tails looks at the closing doors at the other end.

He points to the doors and tells the others, "Look! The doors are closing!"

The others notice this.

Sonic determinedly instructs, "We'd better hurry."

Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy nod in determined agreement, "Mm-hmm."

Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy jump onto their respective gear as Sonic looks at Maria.

"Maria, you ride with me," Sonic instructs Maria.

Maria nods in determined agreement, "Right."

She and Sonic hop on the Blue Star II with Maria holding on to Sonic. Then, they and the others ride down the chamber toward the closing doors.

Sonic tells Maria, "Hold on tight!"

Then, everyone passes through into the corridor before the doors close completely. The Babylon Rogues curiously notice this as the others stop in front of them.

Jet insultedly scolds Sonic, "Hmph! Who invited you?"

Sonic helps Maria off the Blue Star II as Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy jump off their gear.

Sonic teases Jet, "Hope you don't mind if we crash the party."

The evil voice growls louder and everyone looks around with gasps in shock. They all look slowly away from the doorway as an evil hulking purple genie materializes in front of them with a silver genie lamp underneath him. The growls were coming from him all along. Everyone looks at this Babylon Guardian in horror.

A/N:  
Ooh, looks like Sonic and the others, including the Babylon Rogues, are in hot water now. This doesn't look good for our heroes. How will they survive this time? Find out next chapter. ...unless you played the original game.


	10. I Don't Dream of Genie

DISCLAIMER: Characters, places, and objects are trademarks of Sega, Sonic Team, and/or Sonic Project.

Author's Note:  
This is it, the final chapter! Sonic and the gang come face-to-face with a real genie. ...a real evil genie, that is. Like previous chapters, this contains many spoilers from the original game. So, don't read if you don't want to know the outcome ahead of time. And of course, any anime emotional "enhancements" will be in bold. So, make a wish. ...to see Sonic win, of course.

Chapter 9 - I Don't Dream of Genie

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, Maria, and the Babylon Rogues look at the Babylon Guardian in horror as he towers above them.

"Insignificant fools!" booms the Babylon Guardian. "Those who seek treasure will find only...!"

"He doesn't look too happy to see us," Amy points out.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, boss," Storm admits.

Just then, the Babylon Guardian raises his arms and suddenly, the room changes into a empty valley with pillars lining up along the road and a cloudy red sky. Everyone else looks around in awe. Then, they notice the guardian gliding down the road away from them.

"I think he wants to race," Maria wonders.

Sonic and Jet look at each other and mischievously grin.

"Then, let's give him what he wants," Sonic declares.

"I couldn't agree more," Jet replies.

Sonic and Jet toss their respective Extreme Gear in the air and jump on top of them. Then, they race after the Babylon Guardian who is racing really fast. Sonic and Jet catch up to him and notice his lamp.

"Hey, Sonic," Jet tells Sonic, "you wanna bet that lamp is his weak spot?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Sonic responds. "If we hit it enough, maybe, he'll go away."

"Why don't you start us off?" Jet gestures to Sonic.

"Gladly," Sonic replies.

Sonic pulls ahead to the lamp. Then, he spins his gear like a buzzsaw and it hits the lamp, causing it to crack and the guardian to groan in pain. He then races ahead of Sonic who stops spinning his gear as Jet catches up.

"It's working! Way to go!" Jet congratulates Sonic.

"It's your turn now, Jet," Sonic instructs Jet.

Jet snickers, "Much obliged."

Jet pulls ahead to the lamp. Then, he pulls out a pair of paper fans painted like his feathers. As soon as he's close to the lamp, Jet spins around with his fans stretched out so that their edges hit the lamp. This causes the crack in the lamp to grow bigger and the guardian groans in pain at this. Jet stops spinning as Sonic catches up to him and the guardian distances himself from them.

"Just one more hit should do it," Sonic notices.

"This race is alomst over," Jet agrees, putting his fans away.

Sonic then pulls a ring out of his pocket, one of the rings Tails usually gives him to perform a spin attack. Jet notices this.

Sonic looks at Jet and asks, "Shall we?"

Jet nods his head in agreement, "Mm-hmm."

He and Sonic hold hands and jump off their gear. Sonic clutches the ring tightly and it starts to glow. Then, he and Jet spin around in the air, orbiting each other. They continue their spin as they head toward the lamp. Because of their spin, they hit the lamp with so much force, causing it to break into pieces. The Babylon Guardian screams in pain as Sonic and Jet come out of their spin and land safely on the ground. They watch the guardian disintergrate right before their eyes. Suddenly, the room returns to normal as Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, Maria, Wave, and Storm run toward Sonic and Jet and stand behind them. Everyone looks on in awe as an old treasure chest materializes in front of them. Sonic and Jet head toward the chest and open it.

Jet reaches inside the chest and blurts out, "Oh, it's..."

He pulls out a rolled up blue carpet with a fancy design on it. Everyone else gasps in awe as they notice the carpet in Jet's arms.

Eggman's voice spouts out in shock, "A piece of cloth?"

Everyone gasps in surprise as they notice Eggman walking toward them, disappionted that the treasure isn't a machine.

Eggman complains, "I went to the trouble of holding the EX World Grand Prix for... this?" He stands in front of Jet and continues, "I can't believe I just wasted my time for this," he points at the carpet in Jet's arms and concludes, "piece of junk!"

He faints, much to everyone's surprise. Then, they started to laugh at Eggman.

"I don't think I'll ever understand him," Sonic remarks.

Jet then unrolls the carpet onto the floor. On the carpet is a letter.

Maria notices the letter, "What's this?" She picks up the letter and begins to read, "At long last, we've created our ultimate invention. With this, our lives will be easier, without the need to work so hard to keep ourselves flying. Signed, Stolen, the 13th leader of the Babylon Rogues."

Tails, Rouge, Wave, and Storm examine the carpet.

"It's amazing!" Tails admires. "The carpet's rich texture is a sight to behold!"

"And the way it feels is extraordinary," Storm admires.

"Something such as this could only have been created in Babylon," concludes Wave.

"Undoubtedly, this carpet will be in high demand from all around the world," Rouge admires.

Tails then curiously notices something about the carpet.

"Wait. What's this?" he wonders

Everyone looks at Tails in curiosity.

Tails feels the carpet's fabric and tells the others, "This isn't just fabric."

"What're you talking about?" Sonic asks him.

Tails looks at Sonic and explains, "Take a look at the material. It's the same stuff we use for our Extreme Gear."

Everyone else gasps in awe upon hearing this.

"You don't say," says Jet.

Wave happily noggies Tails and congratulates him, "Didn't think you'd spot it for a second, shorty. Good eyes."

Tails happily looks at Wave and tells her, "Thanks."

Suddenly, Jet's control box glows from inside his pocket. Sonic gasps in surprise upon noticing this.

Sonic points at the box in Jet's pocket and exclaims, "Jet, your box!"

Jet notices with a gasp in shock. He pulls the box out of his pocket and looks at it as everyone else looks on in wonderment. Suddenly, the carpet starts to float above the ground, due to the glowing box in Jet's hand. Storm notices the floating carpet with a gasp in shock.

Storm points to the carpet and exclaims, "Boss, look!"

Everyone else gasps in shock as they notice the carpet hovering above the ground.

"A magic carpet?" Rouge wonders. "I thought that those only existed in fairy tales."

"Maybe, it's a prototype Extreme Gear," Wave muses.

Sonic and Jet just smile at all this.

"That's quite funny, actually," Jet explains. "I never imagined that we Babylonians could be descendants of real genies."

"Yeah. Go figure," Sonic agrees.

Later that afternoon at sunset, in the main lab of the Thorndyke Science and Technology building, the Babylon Rogues stand in front of the teleportation device with their Extreme Gear under their arms. Jet also has the carpet rolled up under his other arm. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Chris, Maria, Chuck, Tanaka, Topaz, Ella, Sam, and Mr. Stewart stand in front of the Babylon Rogues. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Amy, Cream, and Chris are in their usual clothing by this time while Topaz still wears her military uniform.

"So, you're leaving?" asks Sonic.

"Yeah. We're tired of this planet," Jet explains. "Besides, the back of the carpet has more words of wisdom: This was invented to allow Babylonians to travel all over the world to gather treasure. Some things never change, huh? But enough of this friendly banter, Sonic, you better make sure you're ready when we meet face-to-face once again."

Sonic gives a thumbs up to Jet and replies, "You bet."

The seven Chaos Emeralds hover above the Babylon Rogues' heads.

"Good thing we gathered the Chaos Emeralds from the Sand Ruins coliseum," Chris notes.

"They should have enough power to get them back to Sonic's world," Chuck explains.

Wave nudges Jet, "Come on, Jet. It's time to split."

Storm angrily pushes Wave, telling her as she angrily looks at him "Hey, I wanted to say that!"

Jet shakes his head in disbelief with a sigh at this.

**A sweatdrop rolls down the side of his head.**

Everyone else laughs at this scene.

Knuckles steps closer to the Chaos Emeralds and announces, "Well, let's get this show on the road."

He raises his arms as Chris goes to the computer and types a bit on the keyboard.

Chris stops typing and looks at Knuckles, telling him, "Ready when you are, Knuckles."

Knuckles closes his eyes in concentration and chants, "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, enriched by the heart. The controller serves to unify the Chaos!"

The seven Chaos Emeralds glow brightly upon his words. He happily looks at this as his brings his arms down. Sonic then comes beside him.

"Looks like it's my turn now," Sonic declares.

He reaches his hand out toward the Chaos Emeralds in determination.

"Chaos Control!" he shouts.

Upon Sonic's words, the Chaos Emeralds send a beam to the transportation device. The device then starts to light up as the Chaos Emeralds disappear from sight. The Babylon Rogues happily look behind them at the device, then, they look at the others, smiling brightly at them. Wave and Storm turn away and walk toward the device. Wave goes through first, then, Storm goes through. Jet just glances at Sonic who glances back.

"You may be the fastest, for now, but we'll race again, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Jet declares.

Sonic gives a thumbs up to Jet and winks at him. Jet then turns away and goes through the device. As soon as all three Babylon Rogues are gone, the device shuts down. Chris comes out from behind the computer and stands with the others as they all look at the device, thinking about their new friends, the Babylon Rogues. Meanwhile, outside the Thorndyke Science and Technology building, Shadow stands on a far off cliff overlooking the building. He has a serious look on his face.

"Someday, Maria, I'll find the truth to these memories," he thinks. "Only then can we be together."

He then walks away from the edge of the cliff.

A/N:  
Thus ends a game adaptation that could have been on "Sonic X". Next story in my fanmade season will be another game adaptation. I think you already know what it is. So, until then, read and review!


End file.
